I had a fairly dramatic reaction to something in the garden. Even after 48 hrs the welts & blisters are apparent. Most likely suspects are parsnip or comfrey.
Its not Hogweed but....
- Thread starter British Red
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Got any hops growing ? I came up in welts like that after being scratched by the stems.
I have had a reaction like that to parsnip, I treat the leaves with great care these days.
Yes, parsnips can cause quite a bad reaction. This is why you see carrots with their leaves for sale in the market and in shops, but parsnips are always sold with their leaves chopped off.
Phototoxic reaction. UV makes any sap/skin reactions far worse, I had a crappy job celery cutting once and didn’t react at all until the weather got sunny. Then it was savage fluid blisters on everyone’s hands and arms, looking exactly like yours after a couple of days. I can pull bindweed all day if the sun’s not out, but need sleeves and gloves if it is, same with hedgecutting Ivy back and getting mashed leaves up my arms. Only happens on sunny days, and some plants are far worse than others.
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I remember the first time I got it when I was strimming, blisters and all sorts, i bought it up with the doc in passing and he just asked - you been strimming? I tend to wear long sleeves now, just in case.
In his eighties my father swore he had developed an allergic reaction to sunlight and for years wouldn't go out without long sleeves (this is a man that worked in North Africa, Iraq, UAE and Dubai). After a very prolonged (and sometimes argumentative diagnostic) we worked out it was strimming umbellifers of some kind! He still wouldn't wear short sleeves though 
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